Essay on Imagery in Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre

Charlotte Bronte wrote the novel Jane Eyre in the mid-eighteen hundreds. In her novel she expresses her views on many important factors present during this time including social problems such as race, class, gender, and the role of religion. Each of these factors affects the way that the protagonist, Jane Eyre, grows as a person. Throughout the novel Charlotte Bronte uses images and symbols that either influence or represent Jane's growth. Bronte uses a common imagery throughout the novel reflecting images of "fire and ice." She also uses symbols in Jane's life such as the red-room, from her childhood, and the character Bertha Mason Rochester, during her time at Thornfield. Other characters who influence Jane as a person are Edward Rochester and St. John Rivers. Each of these images, symbols, and characters influences Jane a great deal and leads her down the path to true belonging and happiness.

The main image that Charlotte Bronte uses is the relationship between "fire and ice." This is also in accordance with images of "red and white," and "hot and cold." Jane, herself, relates to "fire," representing her passion, anger, and spirit. This metaphor of Jane associates her with fire, brightness, and warmth. In chapter four she describes her mind as "a ridge of lighted heath, alive, glancing, devouring" (Sparknotes). Jane also explains Edward Rochester as "fire." He is described as having "flaming and flashing" eyes (Sparknotes). Rochester, like Jane, is also consumed by his passions and anger. Although both Jane and Rochester are described as "fire," their relationship is described as "ice,"

After Jane and Rochester's marriage was stopped, Jane descr...

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... these things are reached while being true to oneself, they can increase the feeling of self worth and cause better appreciation of human values.

Works Cited

* Gilbert, Sandra M. and Guber, Susan. The Woman Writer and the fifteenth-Century Literary Imagination. New Haven: Yale University Press,____.

I choose to include this piece of writing because one of my favorite things to write about is imagery. This novel, Jane Eyre, had alot of really good imagery and so I felt that my analysis of it should most definately be included. Besides that fact I really enjoyed the book.

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